I am not sure what my favorite fall series are myself but if you keep this up for a few more weeks hopefully I will be able to figure it out by then.

@Absolutely_Steve: To Aru Majutsu no Index is an interesting one. Given the soft aesthetic, it has no right to be as exciting as it is.

And don’t worry, I think I’m destined to fall in-love with Michiko to Hatchin. I’ve seen some screenshots of the first episode and streamed the opening animation over at YouTube, both of which have left me aching for more. So, I don’t blame you for watching it raw, I’ll be doing the same thing if I have to wait much longer for a fansub.

Opening animation is here for anyone that’s interested. The song has Shinichiro Watanabe’s style written all over it:

@hayase: Oh right, I’ll hopefully get around to My-Hime sooner or later. It was another anime series that, at the time of it’s airing, seemed to be everywhere, and my natural impulse is to back-away from such hype, but I’m still quite curious about it.

People were pissed because they probably had unreasonably high expectations for the ending. From the start I could see it was not the really ’serious’ type of anime that merits an ‘artistic’ ending or whatever they were expecting. I enjoyed the show for what it was. On the other hand, I could consider Otome the trainwreck–it was just a vehicle for milking more money off the fanboys. If you get bored and decide to watch Mai Hime, start and end there. Stay away from Mai Otome.

Gundam SEED Destiny was another failure because the ending just sucked. Code Geass R2 ending on the other hand was good, but in between the series was so-so. Still I doubt Gundam 00 S2 ending can top the CG R2 ending.

And speaking of more autumn shows, I watched Michiko to Hatchin this morning since I couldn’t wait for subs. If you do not love it I will saw off my foot and mail it to you so you can use it to kick yourself in the ass for having no taste in anime. Seriously though it’s probably the best thing I’ve seen this season and is exactly the kind of show you should dig.

@kuromitsu: I’ll definitely have a look at Mouryou no Hako once a fansub is released; I’ve noticed that many of the reviews so far have been mixed, which is always an interesting sign. I suppose many people had probably read about CLAMP’s involvement, only to be inevitably disappointed when it didn’t turn out to be the next Code Geass, but rather a slow, mature thriller with shojo-ai pretensions. Kind of amusing, really!

@Brack: Fair enough. I’ve been teetering on the brink of dropping my interest in Hyakko and I think you may have just sealed that decision, though I may take a look at episode 2 just to confirm that for myself. Anyway, what attracted me to Hyakko in the first place was the rather punky and warm colour palette, it just looks a lot cooler than this genre usually allows (Soul Eater-esque), and I was thinking of watching it in a ying/yang combination with Casshern!

@Ivy: Firstly, I’m glad that you enjoyed Kurozuka. The anime has toned down the manga quite a bit in terms of sex, which was to be expected, but I think it’s looking like a solid interpretation regardless.

Also, I wonder about Kannagi and if I just caught it at a bad time. To me, it screams ‘moe’ in a very generic, cynical kind of way, but it was clearly beautifully animated too, so I’m torn by it.

@Martin: You should try Casshern Sins. Having caught the second episode last night, it’s shaping up to be a lot more interesting than expected. And the animation is beautiful too, obviously. Everything from Madhouse in this season is wonderful. (Looking forward to your autumn impressions too.)

@Peter S: Definitely agree with you on Casshern Sins, the moral ambiguity of the characters and the vagueness of the plot are proving to be such an interesting experience to watch unfold. I could quite easily watch it all day.

@Absolutely_Steve: Heh. I tried to cast my net as wide as possible this time, mainly in the hope that I’ll just get to see some good anime that I might have otherwise passed over. To Aru Majutsu no Index is a good example of that, as it has this very bishojo-style character design I’m not too fond of, but the action is absolutely bad-ass; speaking of which, the second episode was stunning.

Also, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy Kuroshitsuji as much as I did, and it’s definitely an odd choice for a top pick, but I can’t really deny that I enjoyed it; perhaps the novelty will wear thin eventually? And still, lots more autumn anime to see this weekend too.

@Wildcard: I wouldn’t rule out Shikabane-Hime just yet, especially considering this is Gainax. I’m sure the characters will improve as we spend more time in their company. (Hang around for a few more episodes if you can.)

@Kim: I share your concerns about Toradora. The second episode, in particular, seemed to have made some impressive progress with the character relationships, only to basically reset everything in the last few minutes. I think it’s definitely a more immature series compared with H&C/NB, and if it is just going to be Taiga being all tsundere all the way through; like calling Ryuugi a dog etc, then I’m definitely thinking that it won’t sustain itself for much longer at all.

Anyway, some other first episodes have been released this week, many of which I hope you will find more suitable to your tastes (I’d be interested to know your thoughts on Kurozuka and Mouryou no Hako, as I think both are mature, thrilling and unique). Alas, there is still nothing as crazy or as exciting Baccano!

@Dana: Oh, I hope you try the first two episodes of Casshern; it’s much better than people assume it to be; the second episode is particularly good. Also, RE: Toradora’s second episode, I totally agree. We’ll see where it goes from there.

@Celeste: I don’t think Casshern Sins is based on the live action movie, if that’s what you mean. I think I read it’s like an alternate universe story about the good-guy Casshern actually having caused the end of the world. We shall see, it’s a fairly action orientated series, but the post-apocalyptic imagery hints at something deeper. The second episode further emphasizes that, but by no means is it a happy story. More like moody and pissed off!

To Aru Majutsu no Index is an action/drama/comedy series. Again, beautifully animated and a much better, harder streak than the ’soft’ character designs suggest. I suppose its a little cliché, but really well executed.

Anyway, there will be a lot more good stuff in my week 2 write-up. Well, I hope there will be. Kurozuka is the one that I hope everyone will take a look at.

@qwertypoiuy: Seriously, episode two of To Aru Majutsu no Index is awesome. I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t really excite you.

@blissmo: I think you might have nailed my feelings about Taiga. Though I object to her rude attitude, she definitely has an innocence/vulnerability to her personality which is charming. Also, you need to take a look at Kurozuka. Vampires. Lots of blood. Love story. Gore. Sounds like your kind of thing, right?

@hayase: I haven’t seen Mai-Hime (or Otome, for that matter), but from talking to people who were watching it and gauging the general vibe from the blogosphere at that time, I really think that this was the series that started the whole ‘Sunrise’ ‘train wreck’ thing. It seemed like everyone was pissed off/vocal about its end. Then Seed Destiny came into action too, and the whole meme seemed to snowball from there. Anyway, if you think I’m wrong, don’t be afraid to say so… I’ve a feeling I might be using Mai-Hime incorrectly, when it was mainly Seed Destiny that started it all.

>>albeit darker than Code Geass

I don’t really think of G00S2 as ‘dark’. It just takes itself too seriously.